Time matches on and brings with it the newest edition of Whewell’s Gazette the weekly #histSTM links list containing all of the histories of science, technology and medicine thrown up by the Internet over the last seven days.

The Great Library of Alexandria is probably the most mythologised institution in the history of western knowledge. Its history has been used to illustrate the glory that was ancient Greece and its demise has been used to vilify the narrator’s adversary of choice.

Over time the destruction of the library was blamed on Islam, blaming it for the decline of scientific knowledge in the West. More recently militant atheists have blamed the destruction on early Christians in their attempts to falsely place the decline of science in late antiquity on the Catholic Church.

Historian Tim O’Neill has written an excellent post on his History for Atheists blog outlining and dismantling many of the historical myths associated with the Library of Alexandria. It’s a great read!

Bibliotecha Alexandrina Built both as a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, and an attempt to rekindle something of the brilliance that this earlier center of study and erudition represented.Photo: Carsten Whimster via Wikimedia Commons

Quotes of the week:

“As historians, we have a responsibility for the future, not just the past.” – BSHS President Patricia Fara nails it in her BSHS2017 address

“I spend almost all my professional life talking about genetics with various publics, and find that myths and misconceptions are universal” – Adam Rutherford (@AdamRutherford)

“I don’t want to be annale about this, but the pop historical focus on ‘events’ is part of the problem we have as a discipline” – Jonathan Healey (@SocialHistoryOx)

If you can’t say anything nice¹

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¹Say it in a footnote – Shit Academics Say (@AcademicsSay)

“It was the best of Times Roman, it was the worst of Times Roman” – Jan Mieszkowski (@janmpdx)

Tunnel under Lake Michigan built by Ellis Chesbrough to provide clean water to Chicago

Joseph Marie Jacquard born 7 July 1752

This portrait of Jacquard was woven in silk on a Jacquard loom and required 24,000 punched cards to create (1839). It was only produced to order. One of these portraits in the possession of Charles Babbage inspired him in using perforated cards in his analytical engine. It is in the collection of the Science Museum in London, England. Source: Wikimedia Commons

C. H. Fritsche, Firework on the Elbe on the Occasion of the Visit of the King of De­nmark, 6 June 1709, ca. 1709. King Frederik IV of Denmark’s initials—F.4.R.D.—can be seen on the fireworks cas­tle in the middle of the river. Courtesy Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.